​Pain is a common experience among human beings. It is estimated that more than 30% of Americans have some form of acute or chronic pain. The increase awareness of pain and its consequences has had some unfortunate consequences. In 2014 alone, U.S. retail pharmacies dispensed 245 million prescriptions for opioid pain relievers.

In this lecture Dr. Paulus will outline:(1) How pain is generated?(2) What brain and molecular processes contribute to the severity and intensity of pain?(3) How opioids work and what the consequences are of long-term opioid use.(4) Treatments for opioid addiction and alternative for pain management.